More efficient thanks to the ETHIS procurement platform

Materials are used in laboratories, offices and workshops at ETH every day: be it chemicals, utensils such as test tubes or gloves, Electrical Engineering materials, computers and accessories or tools. When it comes to procurement, the question often arises: how can orders be processed as quickly and cost-effectively as possible? ETH employees can find the answer on the ETHIS procurement platform.

Since its launch in November 2022, over 82,000 orders have been processed via the platform. Thanks to the procurement platform, processes at ETH have been significantly simplified. Employees have access to catalogues with pre-negotiated conditions and their orders are integrated directly into the system - this facilitates invoice entry and provides an overview of the orders that have been placed.

Success story after two and a half years

Today, around 72 per cent of all orders placed with connected suppliers at ETH are processed via the ETHIS procurement platform, compared to just 33 per cent in 2022. The platform enables employees to make transparent decisions and save costs through optimised procurement processes. With an annual procurement volume via the ETHIS procurement platform of CHF 15 million (for 2024), a saving of just one per cent would already free up CHF 150,000 - funds that can be directly reused by purchasers for research and other projects.

Over 4000 people have placed at least one order via the procurement platform since its launch. Chemicals, biological products, laboratory materials and electrical and laser components are purchased particularly frequently. The list of available suppliers is constantly growing. "There are currently more than 40 suppliers available, including Digitec, Merck, Brack, Life Technologies Europe and Lyreco. This year, we want to expand the platform by ten more suppliers. Stemcell and BioRad are already new additions and a specialist book catalogue will soon be added," says André Baumgartner, Purchasing Coordination employee in the VPFC division.

Further development of the platform

If employees do not find what they are looking for from any of the suppliers, they can also place a free text order. "These orders provide us with information on which suppliers we can enter into negotiations with in order to integrate them into the procurement platform in future," says Baumgartner. Thanks to the procurement platform, the purchasing coordination team has a good overview of what is actually being purchased at ETH. This data also helps to negotiate in more detail with existing suppliers and to obtain the best possible conditions.

Use of the ETHIS procurement platform is voluntary. However, its active use shows that the procurement platform is on the right path to making processes at ETH even more efficient and transparent. Baumgartner adds: "However, procurement via the platform brings direct benefits to the organisational units in particular, as the effort involved in entering invoices is reduced and the cost savings from the optimal purchasing conditions can be used directly for other purposes. Based on these advantages, we hope that even more people at ETH will use the ETHIS procurement platform."